Like Night and Day
by DontWaitUpForMe
Summary: I could see myself in the window, my image reflected from the iridescent lights that were my eyes, shining cerulean. Past the barrier of glass, I saw the horror-struck faces of the scientists. Screams filled my ears like a delicate melody. R&R! FAXAXAX! DISCONTINUED, SORRY!
1. Introduction

Like Night and Day

Prologue. Introduction

Word count: 1/4k

**Introduction**

**Point of View: Maximum Ride**

It was a constant battle, fighting like clashing titans in my mind. What had they done to me? I could take the pain of the first week, when all they had done was graft my D.N.A. with a hawk's. No biggy, right? Wrong, it _was_a big deal. It hurt like hell. I won't lie. Agony could not even come close to what I was feeling when I awoke in a cold cage, surrounded by my own blood. No. It was worse. But this…_this_was probably what hell felt like.

It wasn't enough that they had taken me from my home and killed my family before my very eyes. It wasn't enough for them to run their disgusting experiments on me day by day. No. They wanted more. And that's what they got. I don't know what they did to me. Maybe, it's best that I didn't.

In this world, where up is down and nightmares are far better than reality, I know of only three things.

One: Who I am. My name is Maximum Ride. I'm fourteen years old and I'm an orphan.

Two: Where I am. My family was murdered by people that belong to "The School", an organization where they detain unsuspecting children in order to experiment on them.

Three: What I am. Some experiments work, and others fail terribly. I'm one of the few successful research combatants. They decided to find out what would happen if they molded avian D.N.A. with a human's. I'm the result.

That's right.

My name is Maximum Ride. I have wings. And there is only one thing I want to do: Kill all of them.

**~ \ ~ End Prologue. ~ / ~**

**A/N: Well, there you have it! I know this is incredibly short and probably extremely confusing, but I promise it gets better! I already have the first two chapters written so look forward the seeing updates periodically. THEY WILL BE LONGER! I PROMISE! This is my own rendition of Maximum Ride. I had this idea formulating for awhile and decided to just wing it…here's the result. The flock will not be OOC, but this is nothing like James Patterson's books. There are new enemies, powers, situations, and…well, just read if you want to find out more! PLEASE REVIEW! It's like my battery life…I can keep going when I get them!**

**~Alice**


	2. Appellations

Like Night and Day

Chapter 1. Appellations

Word count: 2.5k

**Appellations**

**Point of View: Maximum Ride**

I could feel a bright light against my closed eyes. Blinking them open, I leaned my head to the right, in hopes to escape the iridescent rays. A shot of pain ran down my spine and I resisted the urge to moan in anguish. If I did, I'm sure they would have given me more morphine, putting me out for another couple hours. My wrists were bound to the cold metallic surface I was situated on. Pulling at my feet, I could tell my ankles were in the same condition. Grunting, I tugged on my bindings, hearing the rattling of the chains. A man with a surgical mask covering part of his face walked up to me, slipping on a rubber glove. The movement would have seemed threatening, but I had grown accustomed to the white-coats trying to act menacing. It had no effect in the beginning and it still didn't now, two months later. "Max, how are you feeling?"

A humorless chuckle escaped my lips, "I don't know. How do you think I feel?"My eyes narrowed, shooting daggers at the scientist. His hold on the other glove he was putting on fumbled a bit and he turned away with a shake of his head.

Grabbing a syringe from a basin across the room, he strode back over. "Well, I particularly don't care…" He flicked the needle, readying the injection. I saw a white label on the side of the cartridge that stated 'Sovereignty's Annihilation'. "Now, this might sting a bit." I turned my head away, bracing myself for the oncoming wave of ache. The creases in the man's mask allowed me to realize that he was smiling, sick bastard.

The needle pressed into my flesh and I flinched, feeling the unidentified substance enter my body. I had learned to not even bother asking about what they were putting in me. "What you don't know can't hurt you." It was utter bullshit, but still, the unknown was better than knowing how terrible something actually was and having no power to stop it. Did that make sense? Oh, well.

I could feel my consciousness slipping from my grasp. The sterile room faded in and out, like a light bulb readying to turn off, flickering between existence and oblivion. At last, everything went black.

**~Break~**

My eyes slowly opened, revealing the steel door where they held the dog crates. _Home._Well, that proved the statement "Home is where the heart is" as crap, too. The guards had looped their hands under my armpits, dragging my limp body down the hall. Glancing back, I could see a trail of smudged blood leading up to where we were. The other successful hybrids known as Erasers dug their lupine claws into my shoulders, most likely unaware that they were doing so. Their brains were the size of walnuts, easily influenced and controlled by the scientists. They were The School's guard and lap dogs, waiting for their master's commands. Unlocking the door, they pulled me inside. My eyes widened in shock when I took in the other cages. They were full. Only one of them was empty: my cage, the sixth one.

All eyes turned to the sound of the door opening. Hazily, I took in their faces, three boys and two girls. The dogs dropped me in front of my cage. I fell to the floor, pushing up on my arms. Vaguely aware that my legs weren't moving, I dragged myself into the open cage, hearing the metal clang shut. One of the Erasers leaned down, giving me a toothy grin. I could see a small claw-like marking on the side of his face. He must have been the one from last week's training session.

Gripping on to the back part of my cage, I heaved myself into a sitting position. Leaning my head back and breathing heavily, I stared at my bare feet. "Move." Willing my pinky toe to move, I concentrated on it. It twitched, along with the rest of my toes. Well, that was a fast recovery. "Move." Again, I resolved for my ankles to curve. First the left and then the right. Bending my scraped knees, I pulled them in and out, letting the feeling come back to them. Sighing in relief, I looked to the cages on either side of me. For the first time, I comprehended that all of them were staring at me with mixed emotions. The little girl across from me was shaking, either from the cold, considering she was wearing a small white frock, or from fear. I took in her golden-like curls and bright blue eyes. She was adorable. Noticing my gaze, her eyes blinked, focusing in on me. "How long have you been here?" I asked to no one in particular.

Someone to my right grunted a reply, "Two days." Turning, I saw a boy about my age with strawberry blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He was blind, that much was for sure, but from before getting here or after, I couldn't tell.

Curling my knee in, I rested my head atop it, "What have they done to you so far?" I recalled how I had gotten my wings on the first day. Turning my head around the room, I saw they, too, had gone through the same procedure. Poor kids. "Oh."

A girl with mocha colored skin in a cage beside the little girl was biting her nails. Her long brown hair was frizzed and her legs were shaking with fright. Next to her was a boy of about eight, with blonde hair and blue eyes, similar to the angelic looking girl. Siblings, I realized. On my left, there was a boy of about my age with long black hair and tan skin. Silky midnight feathers peaked out from his ripped shirt. The other's wings were all in states of half-folded and laying motionless beside them. It hurt too much to fold them in completely, I would know. It took me a day to be able to fold them entirely and then a week to actually use them. "So…Names?" I shrugged my shoulders, trying to make conversation.

"Don't know," The blind boy from before spoke up.

I nodded my head, "Same here. So…give yourselves names." Lying was one of the things I was good at. I knew my name, but sometimes I wished I could forget it all.

For the first time, another one spoke, the little girl. "It's not nice to lie, Max."

Startled, my eyes narrowed. "How did you know that?" I already knew the answer, but I wasn't one to get my hopes up.

The girl slumped her shoulders, "I can read minds…"

A smirk played on my lips, jolting the little girl when she looked at me, "Excellent." Looking around, I asked, "What other things can you do?" I could almost _hear_the gears in my head begin to turn, creaking and groaning from little use. The plan coming forth had already been there, lurking and popping out to voice hopeful thoughts, ever since the first week of my imprisonment. There was only one thing missing. Not anymore.

The mind-reader's brother said in a voice that sounded exactly like mine, "I can mimic voices."

Nodding, I looked to the dark-skinned girl, "I can, like, move things with my mind. Well, only metal things. Does that mean I'm like, part magnet, or something? Well, I can push and pull metal and stuff, but I haven't tried anything more than small objects, like my necklace. Isn't it pretty? I had it on me when I got here. It's cool and all-"

"We get it!" I heard the blind kid yell. Inwardly, I thanked him. I felt myself growing closer and closer to the edge -about to scream myself. He turned in my general direction, "I can hear extremely well."

I took all the information into my mind, moving each of the pieces, fitting them like a puzzle beginning to slowly come together. Twisting my body so that I was facing the mysterious kid, I asked, "What about you?" He just looked at me with indifference. His eyes were a deep charcoal color that seemed to go on and on and on. In the second I was lost in them, I found myself trying to find him. One minute he was there, the next gone. I nodded my head, smiling, "Cool." He reappeared and I could have sworn I saw his lips tug at the corners, but perhaps it was my imagination.

Rotating my shoulders, the pain from before had dropped to a dull ache. "So, what can you do?" I heard the little boy ask.

"That's for me to know and you to find out." I smirked, stretching out my arms, hearing them crack. "Now, as for names; go ahead and name yourselves. Might as well since we have some time to pass."

"How…how do we do that?" The little girl muttered in a barely coherent voice.

"Well," I raked my brain for an answer, "how about…things you like?"

"I like strawberries!" The little girl piped up.

"Yeah…let's pick something else." My eyebrows furrowed, thinking. Again, I found myself studying her. This little girl, she was the key. Resisting the urge to laugh with joy at the anticipation bubbling forth, a thought crossed my mind. _Funny__…__my__guardian__angel._

The blonde seemingly perked up, grinning a less than toothy grin –her two from teeth were missing. Enthusiasm radiated off her, "I like that! I'll be 'Angel'!"

Angel's brother huffed, crossing his arms, and then flinching from the movement. "I want a cool name, too…" That was when we smelled it. Groans of disgust were uttered around the room. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "Sorry."

Holding my nose, I grimaced, "That's nasty."

The boy to my right let out a whoop, laughing, "The Gasman!"

Shooting him a glance, my voice was wry with disbelief, "Okay…Gazzy it is."

Gazzy let out a cheer, grinning like the Chesire cat. "No fair! I want a cool name that describes my personality. Maybe I could be called Glimmer or something 'cause I like shiny things and it would go with my theme since metal is shiny and all. But maybe something more normal would be better because I'm normal except for the wings, bu-"

"Quit it!" I screamed, feeling myself fall over the brink. I had an epiphany. "Nudge. You are _definitely_a Nudge."

Nudge seemed to think about the name, but then burst into a fit of giggles. Turning to the blind kid, I whispered, "Now…how about you? What do you like to do?"

He sat, closing his eyes, mulling over the question. "Whenever I try and think of stuff I used to do, all I get are pictures of explosions."

The room went silent, gawking at the kid. Was he insane? Explosions. Who would have thought? "Iggy for 'Ignite'." I was surprised to hear it come from the man of many words himself. (That was sarcasm. (*-*))

Iggy's mouth was spread in a thin line, before arcing into a smirk. "Sounds good."

There was only one more person to worry about. "So, what do we call you? Silent? Reticent?" I began counting the words off on my fingers, "Bashful, faint, laconic, mum, mute, taciturn, hushed, reserved…" I trailed off, seeing Iggy facing me.

"What are you doing?" His voice was incredulous.

"Naming all the words I know that mean quiet." I shrugged, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Everyone burst out laughing and I found myself chuckling along with them. I even saw the dark boy quirk his lip to the side, smiling a million-dollar lopsided grin. Then, bam! Hallelujah! I had his name. It came to me when I saw the subtlest hint of his canine when he smiled. "Fang."

The boy in question raised an eyebrow, his eyes questioning my sanity. The silent conversation we had going on was broken when the door opened. A man, whom I had gotten to know _very_well, stepped in. A smug look spread across my face as I took in the bandage running down the length of his face. That'll scar. "My, my, it looks like our little successes have gotten to know one another. Max, you need to come with us."

Rolling my eyes, I pushed against the door. "That'll be a little difficult. You see, I'm kind of _locked__up._" Under my breath, I muttered, "Morons."

Iggy suppressed a laugh, figures he'd be the one to hear. The white-coat unconsciously scratched at his wound. Motioning with a flick of his hand, he said to the two Erasers tailing him, "Unlock the doors."

They followed orders and I crawled out of the cage, stretching my limbs, trying to get the kinks that were settling in to cease forming. "So, what am I up for today? Another maze? Enhancements? OH! Or my favorite, _Eraser__training?_" The confused stares of the others were almost tangible, digging into my back.

Dr. Crazy sneered, "None. Today, you get to show us if that new power we programmed into you the other day worked."

The man looked satisfied as my visage twisted into one of confusion. "What do you mean?"

He clapped his hands, almost merrily, like my imminent demise was something he was looking forward to. It probably was. "Come now! You'll see when we get there."

"Well, where are we going?"

He stopped in the doorway, turning back to me. The look on his face almost made me shiver. Almost. "Don't worry. They'll still be able to hear your screams." With that, he walked down the hall, laughing like a hyena. It was disgusting, really. I lowered my head, clenching my fists.

As I stepped out of the room, I prayed that Angel could hear my last thought.

_Be ready._

**~ \ ~ End chapter one. ~ / ~**

**A/N: Muahahahaha…cliffy! Sorry…I had a moment. I'd just like to give a heads up for those who are reading this: this is not a Max only story. At some point or another, I will be writing using everyone's point of views! I won't lie, they'll probably be Max and Fang most of the time, but I WILL have Nudge, Gazzy, Angel, and DEFINTELY the Iggster there, too! (Just not next chapter…) PLEASE REVIEW! I WILL EAT ALL THE BAD COOKIES OFF YOUR COMPUTER AND SEND YOU GOOD ONES!**

**For reviewing, I'd like to thank:**

**Terrace Lily **

**Aalaal**

**MaximumRideFanAddict**

**THANK YOU~!**

**~Alice**


	3. Palisade

Like Night and Day

Chapter 2. Palisade

Word count: 2.5k

**Palisade**

**Point of View: Maximum Ride**

"Now, Max. Here's what I want you to do." That's what started it all. It was a room made up of only big white walls. On the far wall, there was a large glass window with other white-coats waiting behind it, clipboards in hand. They pushed me into the space, slamming the door with a loud bang that echoed off the close-knit walls. I looked at the paneled dividers and flooring, taking in the creases and empty spaces between the boards. Dr. Crazy entered the viewing room, taking a seat in one of the many leather cushioned chairs. On one of the armrests sat a microphone-like speaker device. Pressing down on one of the big square buttons at its base, a red light blinked on, indicating the system was running. A static-like noise filtered through the room, and then I heard his voice. "Just…" There was a whirring noise, and I backed up towards the wall behind me, feeling the panes vibrating against my wings. "…react."

There was a click and then everything began moving. The plates started shifting, pulling from the wall, and sliding over the one next to it. Then the pair would slide over the next and so on, until all around me were buzzing metal pieces altering into small raiser sharp bits. My eyes widened, flickering to all of the hovering parts. "Stop! You can't expect me to…to _dodge _these things!" I couldn't believe I was pleading with the doctors, but I was. My eyes made contact with Dr. Crazy, and in that moment, I, Maximum Ride, felt fear.

His lips spoke something to the assistant next to him. In return, the female entered a few keys into the computer atop her lap. With a small 'ping', three of the rotating blades rushed forward. Their target? Me.

A scream erupted piercing the air raw and full of desolation, like the wail of a siren's soliloquy.

**Palisade**

**Point of View: Fang**

The girl was…_strange, _to say the least. She had an air about her that screamed of ferocity and at the same time, protection. Her eyes, beautiful creamy chocolate eyes, held a haunted yet strong look, like she had been to Hell and back, but kept going. She reminded me of somebody, though I can't remember who. Everything from before is a haze, as if it were all a dream. I could see blurs and make out shapes, but memories and reveries were becoming mixed and mingled together. Who was I? Where had I come from? What was I supposed to do?

Fang. Couldn't she have come up with a better name? I had a chance to start and go in the direction I wanted, and I get stuck with the name _Fang. _I could already tell life was going to be difficult from the moment I met her.

I shifted in my cage, turning to see the girl –Max- being lead from the room. My ears picked up the conversation, and somehow I knew that if not for the enhancements, I would not have been able to hear.

The man in the white coat shot her a smile that couldn't be described as anything less than insane. "Don't worry." My entire body froze and tensed at the pitch his voice had taken. "They'll still be able to hear your screams." Max lowered her head, clenching her fists so hard that her knuckles had turned a ghostly white. I could almost feel the anger coming off her in tangible waves. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to kick the door of the cage down and help her. It was like my body had a will of its own; a will that screamed one thing and one thing only: _protect Max. _

The steel door slammed shut and the five of us were left in solitude yet again. When Max came it had been the first time any of us had talked to one another. Somehow, she made us all feel relaxed, when we should have been far from it. It was a matter of minutes and she had us all comfortable, even in these tiny cages. It was then that I realized she was our leader. Angel's eyes had widened when Max walked through the door. I could tell she had heard something.

Without even asking, she spoke, her voice quivering, "She said…'be ready'."

All eyes turned to her, except for Iggy; he angled his head in the general direction. It was Gazzy who broke the silence, "Who? Max?" His voice held hope, something I had not felt since I found myself in this place, with two new limbs to accompany me.

The little girl nodded her head, "I can hear thoughts far from here. It sounds like her." She gasped and then we all heard it, the scream. _Her _scream. Right then, the ache from my wings was nothing compared to the pain I felt from being utterly hopeless. I couldn't go to her. I was trapped in the tiny cage, while she was out there crying from the pain they were inflicting on her.

I would kill them.

**Palisade**

**Point of View: Maximum Ride**

Blood seeped from the deep slice in my shoulder and abdomen. It dripped to the floor like placid tears, raining from cuts formed by the new torture devices created by the scientists. My shoulder pressed against the wall, looking for support to aid my body. I had managed to avoid one of the pieces, but the others were too fast. What did they expect from me? I didn't have super speed on the ground! They were insane! Well, I had already known that, but _this _was enough evidence to send them to an asylum in a flash, quicker than it would take to snap my fingers.

One hand compressed against my side, trying to cease the bleeding. Vaguely, I could hear Dr. Crazy's voice on the microphone again, "Max, you don't have to think so much. This should be easy if the enhancement worked."

Suddenly, it was as if all my pain had turned to anger, burning inside me. Snarling, I turned to the window, "_If _it worked! Apparently, it didn't!"

He whispered another statement to the woman, and I prepared for more of the onslaught. Six of the disks rose, spinning menacingly in front of me and it was as if a bomb had exploded inside me. I remembered the pain from my wings, the faces of the other five humans they had burdened. I remembered the empty feeling of having nobody, everything taken away from me by these cruel beings. I remembered all that they had ever done to me. Gradually, each memory added more fuel to the fire igniting inside me. The room went deadly still, and as fast as the flame came, it was gone. All that I could feel was power, a power clashing against my skin, waiting to break free. The lights in the room sputtered and then died.

In the pure darkness, two small orbs began to glow. I could see myself in the window, my image reflected from the iridescent lights that were my eyes, shining a cerulean color. Past the barrier of glass, I saw the horror-struck faces of the scientists. At once, all the lights came back to life to unveil the sight of the six blades pummeling towards me. My lips curved to form a sweet smile of complete innocence. In an arc, they seemed to hit an invisible barrier, running along a curved edge until they struck the wall behind me. The others followed and still, they couldn't hit their mark.

Turning to the window, with a flick of my hand, the glass shattered into tiny little fragments, clattering to the floor in a harsh crescendo. Screams filled my ears like a delicate melody. Dr. Crazy's face was one of awe. Slowly, I lifted my hand, in turn, levitating four pieces of fallen glass. With a small twist of my fingers, they flipped so that the sharpest of their sides faced the scientists, scrambling to leave. I snapped my fingers and soon, the screeching stopped. The glass splinters pierced the soft part of their necks, stabbing into their jugulars, splattering fresh blood against the walls. With one last look, I turned and walked from the room. The Erasers that had escorted me there were waiting, looks of bewilderment etched across their muzzles. At the sight of me, they pounced ready to disarm me, but they never would. I didn't even give them a second thought as I walked down the hall. The sound of their limp bodies crashing against the wall was enough to satisfy me. My steps were taken with feline grace; not a sound resounded in the passage.

Stopping in front of the steel door that was all too familiar, I clenched my fist out in front of me. Large dents began to form, piece by piece broke free from the hinges, until it was nothing more than a large heap of metal crumbling to the ground. Stepping through the space, I felt four sets of eyes on me, taking in my aura of destruction. It was then that I realized what the words on that syringe meant.

I was the sovereign of annihilation.

**Palisade**

**Point of View: Fang**

"Ugh!" Angel grabbed her head, face contorted as if she could hear something we couldn't. "Max is-Ugh!" She was breathing heavily.

More screaming reached our ears, but they weren't Max's this time. Male and female voices were mixed, shrieking with pure terror, and then, it was quiet. Two loud bangs could be heard in the hallway and then again, there was nothing. Suddenly, the door began to warp, in and out as if something were banging on it extremely hard. The first thing that ran through my body was fear. Was it an experiment that had escaped? Would it know that we weren't the enemy? How could I protect myself if I was locked inside a crate?

The next was anger. There was nothing I could do to stop whatever it may be. What if it had already gotten to Max? Confused, I began to wonder why Max, a girl I had met no more than a half hour ago, was my first priority.

The door deteriorated into nothing more than a pile of rubble and standing amongst the ashes was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. An intake of breath spread around the room, even Iggy was taken aback from the mass of power he felt. With eyes glowing teal, she seemed to float into the room, as if the air brought her with the grace of the wind. "Wow…" Vaguely, I heard Gazzy mutter something of awe and I resisted the urge to follow him. She raised her hand and swiped her fingers together. I watched my cage door coil inwards, breaking away from its hinges. Five slabs of metal flung themselves into the center of the room. Angel scrambled out onto the floor, stiffly standing tall. We gathered around Max, waiting for instruction. When her eyes fell on me, I shivered.

I wanted to reach out and hold her in my arms so that no other person could have her. She was to be mine. I _had _to have her. Slowly, I reached out my hand.

'_NO!'_

I faltered, hearing Angel's voice in my mind. What, Angel? My voice was harsh and pained, as if I was trying desperately to withstand something and it physically exhausted me.

'_You shouldn't touch her. She isn't stable right now.'_

What do you mean 'she isn't stable'?

'_Her eyes…they…I don't know what they are, but when you looked into them, they began to pull your mind towards her. I don't know what's happening. Just don't touch her.'_

I looked away from Max, clenching my fists to fight against the urge. To my left, I could see Iggy scrunching his sightless eyes shut; battling whatever emotion she had awoken in us. There was a dull tingle running down the length of my spine, swirling out my arms to my fingertips and then my legs to my toes. "There isn't much time." My eyes snapped open upon hearing her voice. Power. All I could see, hear, feel…was just power in its rawest form. She turned to Angel and even the subtlest of movements seemed regal. "Angel, how many more people do you feel in the building?"

The little girl blinked and then shut her eyes, concentrating on her task. "I can hear a lot of voices…too many to count."

Max looked away, seeming to think for a moment before closing her eyes, extinguishing the blinding light for a short while. "How about on this route?"

Angel's head twitched and she opened her eyes along with Max, "Three scientists have heard about the incident. They have twelve of those Eraser things with them. Others are gathering more people, but they won't be here for another couple minutes." My face remained indifferent, nut I was far from feeling nothing. What were these 'Erasers' they were talking about? What were they psychologically communicating without our knowledge?

Max nodded, swiftly turning on her heels. "Follow me. Don't get in my way. I have waited two months for an opportunity like this to come along. I will be free _with _or _without _you." Her voice was hard, containing an authority that was not to be messed with.

We all nodded, following our leader with faith and hope in our eyes. Freedom. Soon, it would be ours.

**~ \ ~ End chapter two. ~ / ~**

**A/N: Ello~ I'd just like to thank all those who have gotten this far. I'm gonna be honest with you, cuz if you're reading this then I love you (not in a weird-stalker-Lovely Bones type of way). I hope my story is enjoyable and I'd really like to get your feedback…GOOD AND BAD. Well…if you flame me, please at least give me reasons for why my story sucks. I don't know about you, but I hate it when people flame without actually telling why. How is a writer supposed to get better and improve their story without knowing what's wrong with it? So…please tell me all my flaws! (If you can, please be nice…I'm a fragile little girl [(*-*)]…) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

**~Alice**


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